Army of Two has had a torrid time of it. It was highly anticipated when it was on course for a November 2007 release, but as November crept closer and closer, EA Montreal knew the game would never be ready, missing out on the crucial holiday period. As such many people forgot about the game thanks to the likes of Mass Effect and Call of Duty 4. Now in March, there’s not as big an audience, so the game sneaked onto shelves without many people batting an eyelid. Justified? Or is this a game that everyone should play?

Army of Two is, as the name suggests, based on two mercenaries out to make a quick buck by killing people and completing set objectives. Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem form the pair, and the game gives the opportunity at the start for gamers to pick who they wish to play as. Initially it all seems smooth, until Rios starts questioning some decisions from the powers that be, and things quickly descend into a fight for their lives.

Not that the story matters much. After each mission is completed, a cutscene introducing the next part of the game kicks in, and each time the two mercenaries are in a random location and have to be flown in. There’s no rhyme nor reason for their whereabouts, the game makes no attempt to explain how they got there, and as such leaves you feeling slightly lost as to what the point is. This isn’t too much of an issue though thanks to there only being six missions.

At the start there are only two difficulty levels available, which means there really isn’t much of a challenge to the single player. “Contractor” is Medium in all other games, with “Professional” (Hard) locked out until one completion. This will be frustrating for anyone who likes a challenge, because Contractor sure isn’t. Total gameplay time was just over six hours for full completion of the game, which is ludicrously short. It’s not helped by the linearity of the game either; anyone that saw trailers of the game would have been under the impression that there were a lot of places to go, giving gamers the chance to utilise the co-op nature of the game. Not so. There’s never a need for your partner to go somewhere very different for a better vantage point, because it’s never on offer. Even Gears of War, despite being linear, did at least offer different paths through the game. Not Army of Two. Instead gamers will find themselves being side by side their partner for most of the game. The situation isn’t helped by the game’s very generous GPS system, which literally has an arrow guiding the mercenaries on where to go, so there’s little thinking to do on the gamer’s part.

So a crap story and linearity suggests there is little here that’s worthwhile. Thankfully EA Montreal did at least get the gameplay right, most of the time. Don’t be mis-lead though; those trailers depicting the mercenaries ripping off car doors for shields, going back to back together and generally having a lot of fun with one another are fabrications of the truth. The reality is that these are isolated incidents. The door ripping idea occurs once. Every other time there will just be a conveniently placed riot shield on the floor. The mechanic still works, as one player advances in the crouched position, offering protection for the team mate as he shoots over the top. It’s clever, it works, but it’s not as cool as the trailers made out. Similarly with the back to back mechanic: they are all scripted events, not something that can be activated when the action fits. Again it works just fine, but the trailers were mis-leading so it’s disappointing.

Other gimmicky features that were shouted about are all present and correct, but again they are only really used when the game requires it. Yes they work well, but why not integrate it with more objects, opening up the field of play? It’s an oversight on EA Montreal’s part, something that will no doubt be corrected in the almost-definitely-coming sequel. The only real co-op move that gamers will use regularly is the dragging and healing of another partner, because this is essential. If one team mate dies, it’s all over. If he gets wounded, there’s a very generous bleed out period, giving the healthy partner a chance to drag your sorry self to safety and healing you up. This does work very well, as both partners can remain shooting whilst being dragged. It looks as cool as the game had hyped it up to be and actually offers something much more than the other co-op moves.

Gameplay itself is a mixed bag. Throughout the game it’s a good, clean third person shooter fun. It looks pretty and the controls all handle well once you get used to them, but there’s an underlying feeling of “something’s not right”. That something can likely be attributed to the awful hit detection. Don’t even bother trying to hit someone far away unless using the sniper rifle, because nine times out of ten it won’t register the hit. Similarly when up close, bullets seem to just pass right through enemies. That or their armour is better than yours. Mid-range seems to be the game’s comfort zone, but this isn’t acceptable. It’s hugely frustrating that you can be pumping a guy full of lead only for them to just remain standing. Melee attacks can be activated too, but sadly it’s the same trigger that is used to shoot, so getting close to an enemy then hitting the Right Trigger often results in the firing of bullets rather than a smooth melee attack. This often results in the AI getting a melee attack on you instead, which is obviously very irritating and a flaw in the system.

The USP for Army of Two, aside from the gimmicky co-op moves, is the Aggro Metre. This actually works very well and sets Army of Two away from other third person shooters. Constantly firing and killing people draws the attention to the partner causing most of the fuss, meaning enemy AI will always look to kill whoever has the most Aggro. This is easily detectable as the player glows red. The other player, who isn’t receiving attention, becomes almost invisible, meaning they can sneak around and take out whatever object it is that is in the way. Remain in either Stealth Mode or Aggro Mode for long enough and you get the option to go into “Overkill”, which presents the attacking player with fifteen seconds of double damage, whilst the other is presented with Stealth, so no-one sees them coming. It’s clever and allows teammates to work together to flank opponents, as well as means you can actually take down the bastard hard guys that are coated in ten ton of armour (you have to approach them from behind, since despite all of their protection, they didn’t put any plates on their back).

The biggest scare in these types of co-op games is the team AI. Thankfully, for the most part, the other mercenary shows a lot of intelligence. If you do happen to become wounded, Mr. AI comes rushing over, dragging you to safety and healing as required. This works well for the most part, and only once did the AI cock up and drag one’s limp body into the middle of the battlefield. The AI did manage to lodge himself against a wall at one point, but a trusty grenade soon sorted that out. He’s certainly no crack shot (although at least there’s consistency with the hit detection), however players can bark orders at the guy, who will dutifully obey. Enemy AI is generally intelligent too, seeking cover if need be and is rarely seen just standing around in the open battlefield. If the AI isn’t doing a good enough job, there is the delightful option of split screen which hasn’t been seen in many games recently. It works fine, there’s no slowdown of any kind and it means a mate can come round and have some gaming laughs. Failing that, Xbox Live is available which for the most part is smooth. Occasionally the game pauses and declares it is “Waiting for the other player”, but it’s functionable. Sadly there’s no drop in, drop out option like Gears of War and Crackdown, so everything has to be arranged before hand.

The story rewards you for completing objectives and finding suitcases dotted about across the six missions (three in each) with money. In turn the money can be used to purchase and upgrade new weapons, making them more powerful and more “pimped” than just the basic model. Yes there is an option, for $10,000 per weapon, to pimp it into a lovely gold death machine. Each upgrade will always do something to either the Damage Metre, Aggro Metre and so on. Pimping your weapon means you’ll draw more attention to yourself when shooting, but damn does it look good.

Stupidly the developers made buying the Primary Weapons pretty pointless, because upon completing the game on either of the two difficulties, the game unlocks them all anyway. All that’s left to buy is the Secondary Weapons that are rarely used, and some sniper rifles, a RPG and a Stinger. Add to the fact that there’s no Achievement for purchasing all the weapons and fully upgrading them, it detracts from the replayability value since half the excitement has just been taken away.

The Versus multiplayer won’t add to the replayability either, thanks to its limited offerings. Up to four players can play, forming two teams of two (shock, horror). But the maps are few and far between, so variety is not the spice of life here. There is the option to drive vehicles that are not found in the single player, and EA Montreal did a good job of having next to no lag. Throughout the multiplayer battles, assuming you complete objectives before your opponents, you gain money in a similar fashion to the single player, which can be used to upgrade your weapons in the midst of battle. It works well, but make sure you can afford to buy new weapons, as the winning team has to have the most money at the end. It’s OK, it works, but it’s not something that will keep you hooked in the same way as Call of Duty 4.

Bizarrely, EA Montreal seem to have blocked gamers from different regions playing together. Europeans and Americans are locked away from each other. Not a big problem for Americans perhaps, but certainly Europe seems to be lacking in gamers, so finding games can be tricky. The move to lock regions certainly reduces any lag potential, but whether gamers will be happy with this decision remains to be seen. Surely an option to choose which servers you go on would have been a better idea, but not so here.

Overall you’re left with an underwhelming experience. The game has some great ideas, like the co-op manoeuvres, but doesn’t hit home with them. Instead it leaves them floating around in the park, crying out to be used better. Six missions is definitely not enough; a six hour single player game is not good enough in a world where we demand more from our experiences. Playing with a friend will greatly enhance the experience and will mean that tactics will be better used, although the AI will do a manageable job if you have no friends, but don’t expect too many favours. The multiplayer won’t hold your attention for long when there are more exciting offers elsewhere, however it’s there if three other friends fancy a quick bash at it. The game tries to be Gears of War, but falls far short of such an accolade. As it is, Army of Two offers an enjoyable co-op campaign with a friend and it’s good fun while it lasts, but there’s not a lot to return to here and you’ll soon move on.

73 comments on 'Review: Army of Two'

It should be an option in EVERY multiplayer game whether you want to search on country. If I only want to play with UK or Euro guys then that should be available. Tired of games where you either get the choice of which game to join (although it could be anyone and therefore laggy), or like Halo 3 where it just chooses for you (admittedly I generally end up playing with other UK guys, but I would like to CHOOSE which match I join, not just be thrown in). Someone at XBox Live, please take note. We need more choice from multiplayer matchmaking. Rainbow Six Vegas is a good system, but you can’t choose to avoid US guys to avoid the lag. Halo 3 sorts the lag issue, but removes my freedom of choice. Bridge too far? I think the review is a bit harsh. You don’t get to do the “Cool” things that much, but that didn’t bother me. It’s still a very enjoyable game and a challenging one. It’s not as easy as the reviewer makes out it is. I did get disconnected several times whilst playing with my brother, but sadly you come to expect these kind of issues from new titles (until the obligatory patch comes out).

Yeah the reviewer has rushed through this game to get his review out in a sensible time frame. This game offers a welcome dedicated co-op feel, that only Gears of War has really touched on. Yes its in Halo3 but I felt that had been nailed on at the last minute. Army of Two is a great game imho. The online gameplay modes for 2v2 are great, especially extraction…. Roll on the monthly maps and weapons now….

i’ve noticed similar at a few places they really are bashing on this game hard, i saw it played a few times and its no where near as bad as people are claiming i mean come on a 5 from teamxbox and now a 6 at xboxic…

at the way they are rating it seems to make me think its some form of crap, which it genuinely isnt

4.5mbps BT connection here. My exchange suffers heavily from over subscription, and reduced speeds are enforced all day. Should be fixed come the end of March. Yes I’m connected to what BT class as a rural exchange.

Well i got this on a free rental from blockbusters i havent played it too much yet but im not that amazed. Its a good game dont get me wrong but it doesnt seem to grab me the way games such as gears and COD did in the first play. I just doesnt seem to run smothly. Ill play it more and we’ll see.

i’ve played this game breifly and have to say i wasn’t that excited… i heard it was going to be great and would compare to gears of war in terms of the 3rd person perspective and the graphics and the gameplay… nope!

not impressed at all with this title… might give it a second chance if i can be bothered… but i doubt it

for anyone that has played it… don’t you feel the controls are shit? like changing weapons doesn’t feel fluid for a game like this… having to hold one button then press the direction on the dpad corresponding to the weapon in a game that feels like it should be fast paced really makes me feel like i can’t be bothered playing it… lol

Single Player: Crap, this game is rubbish with the AI. Not saying the AI is rubbish but the game just isnt enjoyable with AI.

Co-Op: This can be very fun, all depends on you and your partners ability. I played with one friend who wasnt very good and therefore we didnt have fun. Played with one of my best friends and we had a great game, if you play with someone similar to yourself then the game has the potential to be great fun. The game comes into its own if you think about how to play, for example me and my friend worked out who would get aggro and provide the distraction and who would do the flanking etc. This made the game achievable and fun.

So basically single player is not worth it but for a good co op experience then it is a good game. Havent played co op online yet but we’ll be playing it tomorrow so ill see what online is like then.

I really enjoyed this game. I’ve played through it twice and must say the co-op is better than Gears of War and Halo 3. I really think the rating is unfair. Lets give EA some credit for creating a new Franchise. Peolpe are always knocking them for this

yeah 6 levels are not enough, and there are a decent amount glitches you can fall into in campaign mode
As with most EA games you will probably see no patch and definitely no extra content.
The graphics on this game are very impressive though

I agree with the score. The game isn’t great but isn’t terrible either just ok. IMO, the most impressive part has got to be the cut-scene graphics. Worth a rental but not a buy. This coming from someone who bought the game.

ditto, but for most games on their hardest difficulty (you know, the one that isn’t unlocked at first because it’s impossibly, sometimes ridiculously difficult without dying on each level like thirty times until you’ve memorized where every person sticks his head out … cool?

I’m not entertained by games that are so hard you have to play the level thirty-seven times to beat it.

This game is definately a pile of garbage, although the one shining star is the region locked multiplayer servers. Love it! Hope other devs follow suit with that one. I am so tired of being lagged-down by british assholes with their faggy voices and pathetic insecurity towards americans. It’s so goddamn sad to listen to.

That’s quite a sad, little opinion. The problem I have playing with the vast majority of US guys is precisely for that reason. They are SO insecure. They seem to only play in order to beat other people into submission like they’ve got something major to prove to the world. Chill the hell out and try playing games for fun rather than who you can “pwn” in a freaking game. No one cares! Honestly! Never assume that you’re the best at anything because someone else will come along and whip your ass and leave you wondering why. Does it matter? If you’re from America, then Hell Yeah. Anyone else in the world accepts it because it’s fact. My apologies to the decent US players. Not all of you are loud-mouthed braggarts, you’re simply getting drowned out by the noise from the rest of ‘em.

I am a US player, and I could sometimes be called one of those “braggarts” as you put it, but you must think of the american mentality. The mentality is the we are the best country in the world, now sometimes I dont think this is true, but it is. We like to demoralize our opponents because we want to sustain this mentality, but most times I am a normal player, and it does get very annoying when you hear somebody saying
“YOU GOT PWNED…OOOOOOOO” every 3 or 4 seconds. so I can see your point of view.

We don’t have much to be insecure about, seeing as how we’ve dominated you and your countrymen in every facet of life for the last 200 years. And now that your country has been completely feminized and humiliated several times over, I am forced to listen to the sad “9/11″ rantings every time I get in a room with brits.

Thanks The Marine for being open and honest. It is precisely that American mentality you refer to that gets me annoyed on XBox Live. There’s simply no place for it on XBox Live. It should be a place where people get together and have fun together. That’s certainly MS would like it to be, but the reality is somewhat different. When I play with other UK guys, never once have they said anything like “I screwed your mom this morning, the same way I screwed you now”, or “That is SOOO GAY!”, both of which I find extremely offensive as they are completely unnecessary in a co-operative gaming environment. The “File Complaint” option on my Guide gets used regularly for any assholes that pull this kind of mentality. In fact, that option on my Guide is getting kind of worn out from overuse (sadly).

Half of you donâ€™t even know where my country is, let alone dominated it (Britain ainâ€™t my country by the way).

Bear in mind if it wasnâ€™t for the people of my country you wouldnâ€™t even be typing on here right now, let alone driving on your long roads which would still be dirt tracks if it wasnâ€™t for us.

One of the smallest nations in the world that has given the world a hell of a lot. (i ainâ€™t talking about England here so donâ€™t bother jumping on my bandwagon)
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Let’s Just THINK for a second, alot of people have imaginations and congratulations for being proud. Realise this, the world Is not, Sim City, and you are not In controll of It….

So enjoy your games, enjoy your life and make something of It, then again what started the wars. I guess I’m a robot for understanding human emotions. THINK people, don’t think you are the center of attention, “Yay I have a group of people who THINK the same way I do.” Let’s argue about that *_*.

y’all are a bunch of racist scumbags. i would expect that from shit shack, but the rest of you should seriously be ashamed of yourselves. and if you are so fucking sure of the origination of everyone you are playing with, then you are all a lot more ignorant than i would have thought. judge a person by their actions, and resist making bullshit assumptions. and get used to dealing with assholes… they are everywhere!

I generally find the Americans worse than Brits. Perhaps its because the average American has a miniscule IQ, and is xenophobic having never been abroad. I bet Kid Outhouse has never left his state.
But still, a c**t is a c**t no matter where they are from.

I rented this at the weekend and the review is about spot-on. Its fairly enjoyable co-op but the gameplay is full of bugs and glitches that get on your nerves.
I cannot believe some of you are saying the co-op is better than GoW & Halo 3.

Splitscreen coop (i.e. two guys playing on the same console) is a hoot. More fun than Halo 3 in splitscreen, but less enjoyable overall than Gears of War. It’s like the difference between watching Aliens or something with The Rock in it. Both are good, but the latter is just trashier. Like Army of Two.

just finished the game with a friend on live and i have to say i enjoyed it. the story, thought derivative, had some good one liners, and the backdrop of the dangers of a privatized military was actually fairly sophisticated at times.

there are only a few levels, but my buddy and i only did one step above minimal exploration, and it still gave us about eight hours on medium difficulty, and i fully plan to play through again on hard after i get my vegas 2 on.

anyway, though a short ride, certainly a worthwhile romp if you got someone to take it with. i haven’t personally gotten into the mp, but the coop is enough to keep this game afloat in my opinion. i would give it a 7.5, and definitely recommend at least a rental…

Seriously, nice review. Just hired It out today, very fun with my HUMAN budy but online, well let’s Just say getting Into a game Is not the easiest thing. And this crap about the US and EU, get over It… sorry people this Is the world get along, how can you Judge eachother for your problems, some people are nice, some people are well Just “Assholes.”

And for those of you who are saying, “Good I hope they do region lock for future games.” Just wow, why am I paying for xbox live…. to play with EVERYONE. And If people like this game more that GOW or HALO 3, then great, I’m glad you enjoy It =) Because It is a fun game, It Just has It’s flaws.

“I generally find the Americans worse than Brits.” Do you really, well here Is the thing friend, we are not all clones, I don’t see my trade mark print?

I’m from the UK and like the US, EU and all those people who have a good sense of personality. OH and British people don’t say, “Your mom”, WRONG, there are alot of immature people out there. Enjoy the game for those who appriciate It.

Now I know why single player games were made, for people like you. Because your house Is made out of cardboard and your soul Is nothing but ashes, some people make me go LOL because the way you’re thinking Is so dumb. ^^

All offense intended by the way >:)

I will take that back though, If you man up and apologize for your actions xD